RAWALPINDI, Dec 16: Christina Rocca, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia is scheduled to visit the interior ministry on Tuesday where she will hand over “communication equipment” to Pakistani authorities, official source said.

Ms Rocca will hand over the $4.5-million-communication equipment to Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat. .

The US ambassador to Pakistan, Nancy Powell will also accompany her, the source said.

The source said that the government had requested the US  authorities to send the technical experts (Pakistan origin) to train the local personnel.

He said the decision to get the communication equipments, which is part of the $73 million border security project, from the US was made during the visit of the then interior minister to Washington May last.

During that visit it was decided in the joint working group meeting that the equipment would be provided to Pakistan to check the movements of terrorists.

The source said the equipment would be given to the law enforcement agencies and installed at Pakistan-Afghan border at exit and entry points.